Instructional Leadership, emphasis: K-12 School Leadership (MEd)
Matthew Greyeyes in health lab pointing at whiteboard.
  1. NAU
  2. CHER
  3. Navajo Native American Research Center for Health Partnership (NARCH)

Navajo Native American Research Center for Health Partnership (NARCH)

Navajo NARCH is a collaboration between Diné College and NAU providing pathways for Native scholars to expand health equity in rural communities. The NARCH team has developed strong avenues for Diné students, practitioners, and researchers to enhance the Navajo Nation’s professional health research capacity.

Students smiling outside in indigenous field day event.

Guiding Diné youth toward public health professions

Partnership goals

Researcher teaching high school students about NARCH.

Collaborate with native youth

Expand NARCH collaborations with high schools and related youth organizations to inform and expose students to the roles and career paths of health-related professions.

Students in Dine College Bachelor of Science in Public Health

Expand Diné College public health program

Expand the Diné College Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) program by developing additional local research experiences, strengthening academic skills and alignment with graduate programs, and building connections across six campuses on Navajo Nation to support student learning and development.

Diné College BSPH program
Omar Gomez hands out flyers.

Culturally-centered NAU MPH-IH program

Adapt the NAU Master of Public Health (MPH) Indigenous Health (IH) concentration to align with the practice and research needs of the Navajo Nation Department of Health, Indian Health Service, and Diné College.

MPH-IH program
Chassity Begay engaging with a researcher.

Mentor early stage investigators

Mentor recent Navajo post-doctoral fellows or Early Stage Investigators (ESIs) to build skills for successful, externally funded research careers focused on health equity for the Navajo Nation.

Programs for every stage

Group of Indigenous Summer Enhancement Program students.

Indigenous Summer Engagement Program

ISEP is an 8-day program for American Indian students, where they stay at Diné College Tsaile campus dorm, learn about public health careers in a culturally supportive atmosphere, and participate in service-learning with local health agencies.

Each year, 12 high school students from the Navajo Nation participate in a public health service-learning program with local healthcare businesses to offer service-learning or volunteer options for high school students. The dual credit program (students receive Diné College and high school credit at the same time), recently expanded from Window Rock, Arizona, to include two additional areas within the Central Consolidated School District, Shiprock and Kirtland, in New Mexico.

Learn about ISEP
Students chatting around a table in a classroom.

Dual credit

High school students can take public health (or other courses) to get an early start by earning college credits through Diné College’s Dual Credit Program, while still attending high school.

Learn more about Diné College
Dine college students in a classroom.

Internships

Each semester, about 10 high school students from schools across the Navajo Nation participate in a Public Health internship program with local health agencies. Check with your local agencies to find out more.

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